It's not all doom and gloom. On a mission to spread a little sunshine into people's lives.

Friday, 2 December 2016

89-year-old Joe looks forward to his new job

@The Guardian

An 89-year-old has found a
job after placing an advert in his local paper asking for part-time work to
stop him ‘dying of boredom’. Joe Bartley, from Paignton in south Devon, is due
to start work at a cafe in the town after the owners of the family-run business
spotted his ad.

“No matter what your age or
your background, you deserve a chance,” Cantina Bar and Kitchen’s co-owner
Sarah Martin told The Guardian. “Most people have got something to offer and
Joe is someone who is keen, who is putting himself out there. What is not to
like about that? A lot of people who come here don’t just come for coffee, they
come for a chat, so Joe is perfect.”

Joe put an advert in the
Herald Express twice last month. It read: “Senior citizen, 89, seeks employment
in Paignton area. 20hrs+ per week. Still able to clean, light gardening, DIY
and anything. I have references. Old soldier, airborne forces. Save me from
dying of boredom!”

He said he had been
overwhelmed by the response to the advert: “The owner phoned me and said she
was interested, and asked me to come in. So I arrived at the cafe and we’ve had
a bit of a chat with the owner, and shook hands.”

Joe has lived alone since his
wife, Cassandra, died two years ago, and has been lonely. “When you live on
your own there is no one to speak to. Since she died I’ve moved into a flat and
it’s a big block. Once you walk into that flat it’s like solitary confinement.”

Joe also got a job offer from
The Ginger Breadman bakery in Barnstaple, the owner explained he wanted the
pensioner to know he had been offered a job in the hope that it would put a ‘smile
on his face’. But Barnstaple was a little too far.

His new employer Sarah said:
“He is delighted, and we are looking forward to it. We think about these things
all the time. We are never going to be rich, but we like to give something
back, so when we saw the advert there was no question – the minute we saw it we
knew we’d give him a job.”